One/Five: Last Day
Me leaving
Leaving New York is like ripping a piece of duct tape off your face. It hurts like a son of a bitch for a few seconds, but the anticipation is worse.
The two to three weeks leading up to my departure were full of goodbyes, and as the day of my departure drew near I became increasingly aware of the fact that I was leaving. Every time I did something, no matter how mundane - turn in a final paper to a professor's box, poop in the downstairs bathroom at Pless Hall - I'd think, "This is the last time I'll ever do this." In the store fronts and sidewalks and park benches I would see reminders of old memories: I would think, "This is where I enjoyed that amazing falafel sandwich" or "Ah, this is where Wendell and I drank Snapples." But in spite of all this mental build-up, leaving New York was easy. It only took five minutes.
"We're crossing the GW Bridge," said the old man into a silver Motorola Razr he couldn't figure out how to use. "Hello? Are you there? Who is this?"
I remember thinking, I'll miss this. I felt a pang of sadness. But it was too late to turn back, and besides, I knew that I wouldn't if I could have. I knew it was time to leave.
LAST DAY IN NEW YORK
Breakfast challahs
On the last day, Lindsay and I woke up very early to make breakfast challahs. It was amazing. Then, at noon, we went to the Veggie Parade with Azz. The Veggie Parade (for those of you who do not know) is a time for New York's most radical vegetarians to come together, insult non-vegetarians' lifestyles and take pictures of each other standing next to strangers in giant vegetable costumes. I took a couple shots of Azz and Linds standing next to a partially shelled pea; then, because it was starting to rain, we went to Kimmel and sat on chairs in the lounge. It was quiet and I was very tired.
I remember thinking, "This is the last time you'll ever sit in this lounge. Make it count."
I didn't, though. Couldn't.
LAST DAY, PART TWO
Afterwards, L and I met Elise (L's roommate) at the Food Fair in Brooklyn. It was raining, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. I didn't get anything because I was still so full from the challah-fest, but Lindsay got a guava empanada and Elise got a canoli. They both looked quite delicious, which I'm sure they were.
OUR LAST LAST (NO REALLY) LAST HURRAH
After a much-needed nap at 888 Union Street, Lindsay and I met up with Wen, Shea and Azz at an amazing restaurant called "Vegetarian Dim Sum House", a vegetarian dim sum house which is known for its vegetarian dim sum. There we drank cups of tea, ate treasure balls and reminisced about bygone eras while struggling to eat greasy balls of vegetables with cheap plastic chopsticks.
After dinner (which seemed too short, as last dinners tend to seem) Shea and I said our sad goodbyes on Pell Street. (I imagine Shea is probably in London right now, admiring Rufus Wainwright's hard, slender body and his cutely tousled hairstyle. Farewell, Shea!) Then the remaining four of us walked to Babycakes, a small but cozy bakery in New York's gritty Lower East Side. We had mini-cakes in the corner, which were good (but the bottoms were wet).
Later that night, Wen and I said goodbye in a park as the sun set behind the surrounding buildingtops. We hugged so Azz could take a picture of us hugging, but she got mad at us when we didn't cry. Then Wen, eager to catch his train and get on with his life as a stylish Manhattanite schoolteacher, disappeared down a tree-lined boulevard and was swallowed up by the city sunset.
After Wen left, Azz, L and I - I think we were kind of scared to part - decided to walk up the Bowery and go to Trader Joe's. (I needed snacks for the train; Lindsay, as usual, needed chips and guac.)
But we couldn't put off goodbye forever. We couldn't even put it off for an hour. Before we knew it, the three of us were standing in the shadows outside the sliding glass doors, trying to find the right words to say goodbye with.
We couldn't find them, though (if they were even there to find), so we gave up and went our separate ways. I realized that I would really miss New York.
It's still sinking in.
Tomorrow: "VIGNETTES"!